A Criminal's Conundrum
by Coverdale-16
Summary: Candace has been walking on the razor's edge her whole life. After she's thrown into Arkham with the infamous rogues, she becomes fascinated with the "cold-blooded killers", one more so than others. Now that she's infatuated with the enigmatic egoist himself, Candace will know danger like never before. RiddlerxOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a Batman fanfic, and this will be EddiexOC because I just had to get this story out of my head. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, no matter how much I wish I did...**

"That's a real shame, nice girl like her…she could've been something, you know."

"Of course she could've, if she hadn't of gone so damned crazy…"

_Idiots. They're all so stupid… do they honestly believe that I can't hear them? Who even let them in here? This is Arkham Asylum, not some cheap down-the-street beauty parlor._

Candace sighed and ran a hand through the short choppy mess of blonde hair atop her head. Her black eye makeup was running, she knew for sure, and her hazel eyes were probably still red from crying.

Crying…she thought, damn weakness.

She tugged again at the handcuffs to no avail. If she was going to be in them often, she would probably need to learn to get out of them fast. Candace sure as hell wasn't going to stay in this place. However, currently, she's cuffed to a chair in the waiting room to see some quack to tell her about her problems. As if she doesn't know already. Narcissistic, schizotypal, antisocial, superiority complex. All the fun stuff.

The room was dim and cold, and it made Candace uncomfortable. She should've been with her brother, but they didn't give murderers many visiting rights. She wouldn't even call it murder, maybe justifiable vengeance. He had it coming. The events of the night (what she could remember, anyway) still flashed through her mind.

_The razor glided into the stomach easier than she would've imagined. The man's face was twisted with pain, and Candace watched as the lights faded from his eyes. She laughed, and tears sprung to her eyes. She had no idea why she was crying, maybe it was panic, or fear. Maybe it was the memory of the pain this man had put her brother through. Maybe it was the relief knowing it was finally over. Maybe she had realized she was a killer._

Candace was brought back to reality when the cop cleared his throat in front of her. She glared up at him, a large man with slicked back hair and a beer belly that took his job way too seriously.

"The doctor will see you know," he grumbled. Candace let out a breath in annoyance and motioned to her hands, still handcuffed to the chair. He let out a nervous cough to cover up his error and clapped the handcuffs onto her wrists, free of the chair. She was then led into a room where a young woman stirred nervously, and introduced herself. Candace forgot her name instantly and immediately concluded that she was new, according to her behavior.

"The first thing we'll do is the Rorschach test…" she gave a quick nod to the police officer, and he left the room, leaving Candace and the doctor in the room alone. The doctor continued, "Is that alright with you?"

Candace gave her a blank stare and held her gaze. After a few moments, the doctor began to fidget with the cards. It took Candace all the willpower she had not to laugh.

"Okay, we'll go ahead and start. What do you see?"

"An inkblot," Candace replied dryly. The doctor shook her head and gave Candace an annoyed stare.

"Anything else?" she held up another card.

"That… is a mess I will refuse to clean up," Candace tried to cross her arms after the last comment, but it was difficult with the cuffs, so she settled in laying them in her lap. After a few more cards, the doctor finally stopped the first test.

"Now, you killed a man named Len Basker, why?"

Candace grew uneasy, she knew they would ask this. But she couldn't trust these people, she couldn't trust anyone at all. She hesitated, looking around at the small office filled with odd knickknacks… definitely a rookie doctor. Candace's head snapped back to the doctor.

"Tell me, doctor, are you new here?"

The doctor held her head up higher. "Yes, I am. Now please answer the question…"

"Do you like it here? With all of the crazies?" Candace pressed. The doctor pursed her lips.

"If you don't want to answer these questions, we could bring in your brother-"

"NO! I'll answer, just not right now…" Candace's eyes had grown wide, and she sat back in her seat after her outburst. The doctor sighed.

"Alright, I'll be seeing you soon, at our next session. Be prepared to answer all of the questions I have prepared," the doctor turned to call in the officer., only a rookie doctor would turn their back on the criminal. Candace swiped a small pen from her desk, tucking it into her sleeve. The doctor turned around, unaware, and the officer was called in. Candace was led down the hall and to her cell; she remained silent the entire time.

The cell was small, sterile, and very bland. Candace lay on her bed with her eyes closed, thinking about her little brother and how he was doing. He'd be so much better if I was there… she thought. So, formulating a plan, she had begun to think of a way out. Candace thought back to when her parents were still around, and everything they had taught her.

First, identify and know your surroundings. Double-reinforced glass wall, three cement walls surrounding it. Long, straight hallway with maximum visibility. Staircases to the left and right sides, elevator at the front. Windows aligned in rows to the bottom of the wall to halfway up. Two guards at each end of the hall, guarding the staircases and elevators, both armed. Two of the guards would take breaks every half hour and alternate. The bed, metal with a plain white sheet covering a simple spring mattress. The desk and chair, metal, with rubber stoppers at the bottom and plain writing paper on top with a list of asylum rules. The lock on the door, steel, and set inside the glass.

Second, gather supplies. Candace pulled the pen out of her sleeve and disassembled it. She took out the small spring and pen tip. She used the metal clip to make a small tear in the bed, she then pulled out two large springs from the bed. Candace collected the stoppers from the bottom of the desk and chair, and laid them on the floor.

Three, formulate a plan. Candace would first pick the lock, wait for two guards to take a break, then bolt for the exit. If she took the stairs, it would cost her time, but give her the possibility of a spare window to escape through. If she took the elevator, they would be able to monitor her, but it would be a faster and easier escape. Elevator it is.

Four, take action. Candace placed the pen tip within the spring and wedged it into the keyhole of the lock. After the spring caught, so did the pen tip. Candace heard the satisfying "click" and waited. Within another ten minutes, two of the guards went to the other side of the hall (where the stairs were) and told them they would be taking a break. Candace swung the door open and bolted.

Just as she had reached the elevator door, she heard them shouting. As the elevators doors closed, she heard the shots ring out, a few even hit the doors. After a few moments, the elevator stopped moving. Candace expected this, so she climbed through the panel in the roof and began scaling the wall above it. She could see a vent that led to the outside, and she reached it within minutes.

Candace lifted the vent top off, and climbed onto the roof. She took a minute to shake out her strained arms before looking around. The next thing she heard was…

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP AND GET DOWN ON THE GROUND!"

There must've been a dozen armed officers surrounding her, no way out this time.

"Damn," Candace muttered.

It went on like this for a few days, every day after her trial Candace would find a way to escape, and they would catch her somehow every time. And every time they had given her less and less to work with. But that wasn't going to stop her, she had seen too many episodes of MacGyver to give up that easily.

So, Candace had persisted. Everyday she would wake up, long for a cigarette, go to court, occasionally have a meeting with her doctor, go back to her cell, escape, get caught, have nightmares and worry about her brother before passing out from exhaustion, then start it all over again the next day.

However, one day, she got out. It had only been three days after being moved to maximum security. The guards and her doctor grew tired of her almost successful escapes, and so Candace was transferred.

Candace had failed to realize that "Maximum Security" was just another name for "Gotham Rogues Dept".

As she was led down the hall, Candace gave herself a moment to admire the most infamous people in Gotham. The Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy… it was like some kind of dastardly hall of fame. These were the people that had refused to take any of the crap that others had put on them. They had acted out, and those people who tried to mess with them had to pay, and pay with their lives.

Candace's cell was at the end of the hall, across from her was the one and only Scarecrow, beside her The Riddler, and diagonal was Jervis Tetch, who had already asked if she was Alice.

Candace had heard about them all on the news, and now she got to see them in person. She had a morbid fascination about the rogues, and she wanted…no, needed…to talk to them. Maybe even find out how they evade cops so well.

"What do you fear?" The Scarecrow was staring at her through the glass wall, his tall, thin frame leaning against the glass. Candace's head snapped up and she held his gaze for a moment before turning her eyes to the floor, and she bit her lip in concentration.

"Birds, getting pregnant, extreme heights…" she trailed off after naming a few. The Scarecrow tilted his head, still staring at her.

"Interesting…"

"Cut it out, Jon, you'll scare her," came a voice from another cell. Scarecrow, or Jon, sighed and glared at the other man.

"That is exactly my goal, Edward. Now please…" However, the other man wouldn't stop.

"Candace is your name, correct?" Candace hummed mm-hmm, and the man continued.

"What is always on its way here but never arrives?" he asked. Candace thought for a moment, then…

"Tomorrow!" She was proud of herself for figuring it out. She heard a laugh through the wall.

"I'm glad you aren't a complete moron, now the riddles will get harder…"

The night continued like this, Candace answering as many riddles as she could. Even though she couldn't see him, she felt him giving off a certain type of arrogance. She also felt nervous when they spoke, maybe because he was a real villain, and in reality, very dangerous.

**A/N: There ya go! Tell me if you liked it or not, constructive criticism is always welcome. The next chapter will be longer, and it will have a lot more to do with the rogues. Please review and thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for reviewing (those who did), and as long as the feedback is positive, then I'll continue this story. I hope you enjoy it : )**

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is Candace.**

The most surprising thing to Candace was that the rogues were real people. They had actual conversations with each other, had a favorite movie, and they had real feelings. It may have been over-the-top confidence or bloodlust, but feelings nonetheless. Late at night, Candace thought for a long time about how people "on the outside", as she called them, were so quick to judge these people. They didn't know what had pushed them to kill or cheat or steal; they certainly hadn't lived through it. It was the people out there that had pushed the criminals. Who were the bad guys, really?

The first day in the cafeteria, Candace had dared to sit with Eddie and Jon, the infamous Riddler and Scarecrow. She enjoyed their company, and found it amusing whenever they would argue. Candace had the feeling that they liked her, too. She wasn't dead yet, and that was a good sign.

Jon sat down first, with very little food, and Candace had joined him across the table. He gave her a blank stare and after she squirmed under his gaze, she saw the lopsided grin on his face. Next, Eddie sat down beside her.

"Two horses, swiftest traveling, harnessed in a pair and grazing ever in places distant from them."

Candace thought it over while chewing her food, and finally looked up at him.

"I don't know the answer to this one…"

Eddie beamed and gave a small, amused giggle, "Eyes, my dear. And you, Candace, have been eyeing the exits ever since you were moved to maximum security. You want to get out of here."

"Well of course I do," Candace admitted. Eddie and Jon shared a glance, and Jon sighed.

"You're inviting her, aren't you?" Jon rolled his eyes.

"Of course I am! She almost escaped many times before being transferred, I think it will go much more smoothly with her. Candace," Eddie turned to her, and she gazed back, confused. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear, and Candace willed her cheeks to stop getting so red.

"We're busting out of here Thursday," he whispered. "I need to know that I can trust you, but I can't tell you all of the details just yet. When the time comes, I'll give you the signal and just follow my lead."

Candace looked into his eyes when he pulled away (his green, green eyes), and nodded. Eddie smiled at Jon, and they all kept eating. Soon, the Joker sauntered over and sat by Jon, staring at Candace.

"Hey there, jailbait," he laughed maniacally. Candace glanced at him, but averted her eyes back to her food. Jon gave the Joker an annoyed glare, and soon enough he left to see Harley Quinn.

"How did you even get in Arkham?" Jon asked. Candace tensed up, and Eddie noticed. He stared at her, anticipating an answer.

"I killed three people," Candace answered, trying to push the memories back into the depths of her mind.

"How'd you do it?" Eddie asked. She knew he was infamous for intricate death traps, and her murder tactic shied in comparison.

"With a razor blade."

"I thought that's why they call you Razor," Eddie laughed. "That's pretty brutal."

The irony was not lost on Candace. Jon persisted.

"Why did you do it?"

That's when the flashback started. Candace shut her eyes, and her brows furrowed. The adrenaline had blurred everything together at the time, and she couldn't remember everything. But she remembered enough…

_Blood everywhere, the liquid substance covered her hands and the metal blade. The adrenaline had her blood pumping through her whole body, and it was ecstasy. She had to have more. Candace had no idea where she was going, but her feet took her to an old "friend's" house. She saw herself killing him and his wife, then saw their child run away screaming… Candace running down the hall, Carol of the Bells playing softly on the radio but too loud in her head…Much too loud…_

"Yeah, why?" Eddie repeated.

Candace shook her head. "I killed one man that did me wrong, and I just liked the feeling, so I did it again…," she trailed off softly. They accepted her answer and the conversation led to other things.

Candace had trouble sleeping that night. The guards were loud and rude, but she eventually drowned them out. It was the memories that got to her. Those people deserved their fate, but she still felt like she had unfinished business. This insatiable blood-lust would have to wait until Thursday, the day she was getting out with the rest of the rogues.

Wednesday was another day with the doctor, which Candace was growing very tired of. However, it was just one more day until she was free again.

"Candace, where did you learn to fight, and shoot?" she asked. Candace sighed.

"My parents were FBI agents, they taught me everything."

"And how did they die?" the doctor leaned forward in her chair and made direct eye contact with Candace, as if daring her to ignore the question. Candace sighed.

"They both died in the field. After that, my little brother went to live with my uncle and I was turning eighteen soon, so I moved out," Candace finished and gave a sad smile.

"That really is a touching story, Candace, and I would say 'I'm sorry', but you're lying," the doctor had her eyebrows raised and glared at Candace. Candace glared back.

"Okay, yes, I lied. And now I'm guessing you won't let me leave until I give you the truth?" The doctor nodded and Candace sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"I wasn't lying when I said that my parents taught me everything. Except they weren't FBI agents, they were hired assassins by a mob. One day, they were sold out by a rat and gunned down by rival mob members. It was two weeks after they had died that I had found out," Candace kept her tone indifferent.

"What exactly did they teach you?"

"Trust no one, don't feel anything, and…other things," Candace looked to the floor. The doctor wrote something down.

"You didn't find out they were dead for two weeks, why?"

Candace ran a hand down her face. "My father wanted to leave us, but my mother thought my brother and I would be useful later, and was trying to convince him to come back home. I saw them very sparingly."

"So you raised your little brother after they died?"

"No," Candace admitted.

"He ran away?" Candace knew that the doctor had the full report, so it was pointless to argue any further.

"Yes, but then my uncle found him and took him in," Candace gritted her teeth at the memory of the man.

"Your uncle is Len Basker, the man you killed. You killed him because he abused your brother, didn't he?"

Candace nodded her head, keeping her breaths slow and even, though she was full of rage inside.

"The other two people you killed were your…"

"Can't we stop there?" Candace cut the doctor off before she could go on.

"Of course, the guard will escort you back to your cell," the doctor closed Candace's file and turned around. Candace was in too sour a mood to swipe a pen. The guard walked Candace back, her head down.

"They didn't break you already did they?" Jon asked, eyeing her as she lay down. Candace rubbed her eyes.

"No, just in a bad mood is all…," after that she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Her dreams were anything but sweet.

Thursday couldn't have come any sooner. Candace was ready to get out of that place, for good. She had heard very little of the plan, and that made her suspicious, but concluded that it was only because the plan couldn't be repeated too much or the guards would hear.

It happened just after lunch break on Thursday. Every prisoner had been escorted back, and a few guards left to get lunch of their own. The first thing Candace heard, and felt, was an explosion coming from down the hall that knocked her back onto her bed. Then, she saw Eddie unlock her cell and she rushed out to meet him. He slipped her a gun and Jon nodded at her.

"Save your bullets, and stay close to me," Eddie murmured in her ear. Oh, I'll have no problem following that, she thought.

The group of rogues reached the stairwell with Harley and the Joker guarding the group, firing wild shots at the guards trying to pursue them. The whole experience was blurry to Candace, out of both excitement and adrenaline. This was unlike anything else, and with Eddie holding on to her by the crook of her elbow, she felt entirely at ease.

Until he pushed her down the stairs.

"Thanks for the distraction, sweetheart!" he called down to her. Candace sat up, mad, and fired at him.

Blanks. The shots in her gun were blanks. Candace's new found rage was enough for her to knock out the two guards that were behind her and take their weapons. She smiled when she saw that one had a pack of cigarettes, and swiped those too.

Candace went the opposite route that the rogues did, and encountered very little guards, as they were all pursuing the rest of the gang that had escaped. Those guards that she did encounter, she killed.

_Bait_, Candace thought,_ I was bait. That's why Joker called me 'jailbait', not because I look young, because I was actually bait! How could I have been so stupid?_

BANG, one guard down.

_The first thing my parents taught me was trust no one! The very first thing! Why had I trusted the Riddler? Just because he has the most gorgeous green eyes I've ever seen?_

BANG, another guard down.

_I mean, he is extremely good looking, but he's also a murderer! Well I am too, but he's very narcissistic… but I guess I have a little of that from my father's side…_

BANG, that's three.

_I have to get revenge. I have to, no one messes with the Razor and gets away with it!_

BANG, admittance to the 'Confiscated Items' room.

Candace grabbed her costume and put it on. Sleek, black spandex with a jagged silver cut-out pattern running down the sides, a silver domino mask, and her belt, filled with razor blades and two silver guns. It felt like home. After suiting up, she jumped from a window and landed on the ground softly. No one saw her leave.

Candace found the Riddler, in full green, question mark-adorned business suit, robbing a bank. Not just a bank, the largest bank in Gotham. That was to be expected, of course. She snuck up behind him and pressed the cold barrel to his temple.

"I want in," she purred in his ear.

"And if I refuse?", he still didn't turn around to face her.

"I'll kill you before your moronic goons even know what's going on," Candace noticed the out of place venom in her voice. The Riddler sighed.

"Fine, I'll cut you in. But no funny business, got it?" he turned around and pointed a gloved finger at her.

Candace grinned, "Not a problem, sweetheart."

**A/N: Thanks for reading, and reviews make my day, so… please?**


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